I agree with Adriana that this is likely to be a problematic and potentially offensive plan.

 

There are larger wooden carved figures/poles/panels in Western/American folk tradition that are now in museum collections and that the student might consider using as inspiration instead:  i.e. ship prows and figureheads, storefront decoration and figures (be careful of the racist ones like the "Indians", but there are alternatives http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma02/index/cigar/white.html ), tavern markers and store signs, barbershop poles and markers etc.. The student might want to consider playing off something like these instead.

 

A couple of random photos: https://imgur.com/bkB3JnT and https://imgur.com/a/HcPPNTU 

 

 

From: Museum discussion list [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Adriana Greci Green [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Friday, October 12, 2018 12:08 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Totem Pole question from student

Dear Amber,
This is not an appropriate project for your student.  Besides the fact that there is no "typically termed "totem pole'"  -- so-called "totem poles" (the name itself is a misnomer based on the Anishinaabe term "Dodem" meaning "clan") are memorial poles that reflect tangible and intangible intellectual property, rights and responsibilities of both the artists that are commissioned to carve them and the individuals, families or clans that made the commission. This applies to historic poles as well as contemporary ones.   The concept you describe is extremely problematic, and reflects highly problematic stereotypes.  What might seem to you and the student as "typical" forms are highly symbolic stylistic representations of proprietary clan and chiefly histories, and should not be copied nor imitated.  This is not something your student could ever get permission to do, and this project cannot be but appropriative in the worst way.   If the student has any interest in learning about the significance of memorial poles, s/he should take the time to learn, properly and appropriately -- the field of Native American and First Nations art is vast and there is a substantial body of literature, especially about artistic traditions and histories of the Northwest Coast. 

Adriana Greci Green, PhD

Curator of Indigenous Arts of the Americas

The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia




On Wed, Oct 10, 2018 at 6:55 PM Amber Clifford <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Greetings-

One of my students, an art major, is doing a project on museum collections, and has a plan to use objects from the collections to carve a (in form alone) totem pole sort of carving/sculpture. It is not a replica totem pole, nor will it have representations of any indigenous forms other than the stylistic conventions of what is typically termed "totem pole."

The student wants to send their plans to someone from an indigenous community with a totem pole tradition. He wishes to get their permission and avoid any explicit cultural appropriation.

Does anyone have a suggestion as to who could be contacted? Remember- this is an undergrad, working his hardest to be inclusive and appropriate.

Thanks
Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone
Director, McClure Archives and University Museum

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Always remember your email etiquette!
Students: Always check both your syllabus and Blackboard first, your question may already be answered!

Amber R. Clifford-Napoleone, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology (Anthropology Program Wood 212, 660-543-4877)
Director, McClure Archives and University Museum (JCKL 1470, 660-543-4649)
University of Central Missouri

MAILING ADDRESS:
Wood 212 Anthropology Program
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg, MO 64093



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Adriana Greci Green, PhD
Curator of Indigenous Arts of the Americas, The Fralin Museum of Art at the University of Virginia
Research Collaborator, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution



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